Rotary motor



L. D. EPPERSON.

ROTARY MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.21,1919.

1,350,795 Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESS: INVENTOR.

A ORNEY.

L. D. EPPERSON.

ROTARY MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2I, l9l9.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920..

3 SHEETSSHEET 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LANDY' D. EPPERSON, 0F MOUNT WASHINGTON, MISSOURI.

ROTARY MOTOR.

Application filed April 21,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LANDY D. EPPERSON, a citizen of the United States,residin at Mount Vashington, in the county of ackson and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryMotors, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to rotary motors or impellers adapted foroperation under fluid pressure, such as steam or compressed air, orthrough the force created by combustion or explosion, and my'object isto produce an efficient and economical motor which possesses thedesirable features of strength, durability and compactness ofconstruction.

lVith this general object in view the invention consists incertain noveland useful features of construction and combinations of parts ashereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be. fullyunderstood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of a rotary motor embodying my invention,with part of the casing broken away to disclose the interior of themotor.

Fig. 2, is a top plan view of the motor.

Fig. 3, is a central horizontal section of the motor.

Fig. 4, is a central vertical section taken on the line IV-lV of Fig. 1.

V Fig. 5, is a vertical section taken on the line V-V of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6, is a fragmentary View corresponding to Fig. 1 but showing therotary piston and rotary abutment in a different position from that. inwhich they are disclosed by Fig. 1.

Fig. 7, is a fragmentary section corresponding to Fig. 3, but showing amodified construction.

Fig. 8, is a vertical section with parts 7 omitted to show the innerface of oneside of the casing.

In the said drawings like reference characters identify like parts. 1isthe casing of the motor, the same-being formed with two intersectingcircular chambers 2 and 3, the former of greater radial depth than thelatter.

The casing comprises two members 4 and 5 bolted together peripherally asat 6, and each of said chambers 4 and 5 is composed of two sectionsfitting flatly together as though the casing had been sawed into twoSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920. 1919. Serial No. 291,431.

parts, and at such meeting edges have outwardly projecting flanges 8through which the securing bolts 7 extend, it being noted in thisconnection that the said meeting edges are disposed to one side of thecenter of the casing at such point that the propelling fluid shall notreadily reach the joint thus produced, it being, of course, understoodthat such joint in practice, will be packed in any suitable manner asindicated at Concentrically with respect to the circular chambers 2 and3, the sides of the casing are formed with circular webs 1O dis posedinward of the planes of the sides of the said chambers so as to providenarrow spaces 11 between companion webs, for the accommodation of thewebs of the piston and abutment, as hereinafter more particularlyreferred to.

The companion webs are provided centrally with outwardly projecting hubs12 threaded at their outer ends, and said webs are provided withbushings 13 of Babbitt metal or the like to provide journal bearings forsimilar shafts 14 and 15 for the rotary piston and rotary abutmentrespectively, and said shafts are respectively connected by intermeshinggear wheels 16 and 17 for transmitting power from one to the other. Oneof them is also adapted to be equipped with a fly wheel, and the otherwith a pulley for transmitting power to an object to be turned.

Formed integral with or rigidly secured on shaft 14 is a circular diskor web 18 fitting in the space 11 between the casing webs 10 at thepiston side of the casing, and projecting from the periphery of said weband of the same thickness is an arm 19 with which is integrally formeda. segmental piston 20 adapted for travel in the circular piston chamber2, it being noted that at the point of communication between the twochambers 2 and 3, the outer edges of the webs-1O at the piston side ofthe motor are formed with segmental recesses 10 struck from the sameradius as the outer side of the chamber 3 to accommodate the circularabutment 21 fitting in the. chamber 3 and formed at the periphery of acircular web or disk 22 fitting in the space 11 between the webs 10 atthe abutment side of the motor and cast with or rigidly secured'on theshaft 15, it being noted that the abutment 21 is cut away to provide anopening 28 slightly longer than the piston 20, and that the web 22 ofthe abutment is correspondingly recessed for the accommodation of thepiston, and it will be further noted that the webs 10 at the abutmentside of the motor are recessed at 2 k to accommodate the piston, in thesame sense that the recess 10*, accommodates the abutment 21. I

One side web of the casing is provided with an intake opening 25 for thefluid, and with an exhaust opening 26, said openings communicating withthe piston chamber adjacent the abutment, and the parts being soproportioned that as the abutment closes communication between thepiston chamber 2 and the abutment chamber, the rear end of the pistonbegins to uncover the intake port 25, the exhaust port being wholly openat this time, but cut off from communication with the abutment chamber 3by the abutment. At about the time the front end of the piston overlapsand closes the exhaust port, the opening in the abutment comes intocommunication with the piston chamberjust ahead of the piston and as theoperation, continues the former uncovers the recess 2% and the pistonpasses into said recess and into the recess in the web 22, in

'which position it is shown by Fig. 1, it being noted that when thepiston is at the opposite side of the shaft from that in which itappears in Fig. 1, the uncut portion of the abutment occupies the recess10 at the piston side of the motor and thus offers, close to the intakeport, a resistance against which the .motive fluid reacts to drive thepiston.

The web of the casing opposite the exhaust port has an opening coveredby a removable plate 27, so as to give convenient access to the pistonand to the peripheral portion of the abutment for cleaning and otherpurposes.

In Figs. 7 and 8, the abutment'chamber is shown as slightly wider thanthe piston chamber, this being done in order that the motive fluid shallhave less chance to reach a position at opposite sides of the abutmentthan is the case with a construction where the piston and abutment areof the same width. It is proposed, of course, in either event to providea suitable packing, such as packing rings or the like, to guard againstthe passage of pressure past and around the piston and the abutment, butas the use of such packing rings is conventional in rotary engines, thesame have been omitted herein.

V For lubricating the motor an oil box 28 is offset from each web 10above the hub thereof, the upper part of the hub constituting the bottomof the box and having a series of oil passages 29 which extend throughthe bushing to lubricate the shaft over a wide surface within thebushing, the innermost I of such passages supplying oil against theadjacent edge of the hub of the piston or abutment respectively so. thatthe oil shall be carried outward by centrifugal force at the end of saidhub, it being noted that the hub fits loosely peripherally in the web sothatsuch oil can work inwardly to the side of the web proper in orderthat it may be carried outward between the side of the same and thejuxtaposed web to lubricate said web. A small percentage of the oil willin practice Work outward into the communicating chambers 2 and 3respectively to assist in lubricating the piston or abutment, it beingunderstood that oil cups not shown, may also be provided for supplyingoil to said piston and abutment chambers for insuring proper lubricationtherein for the piston and abutment.

Packing nuts 30 fit around the shafts and are secured on the outer endsof the hubs of the webs 10 to guard against waste of oil at the outerends of the hubs, and said nuts are provided with ratchet teeth 31engaged by dogs 32 pivoted to lugs 38 secured to the outer or removableend walls of the oil box 28, and to hold said dogs in engagement withsaid ratchet-toothed nuts to prevent accidental turning thereof, springs3e are securedto the boxes and bear outwardly against said dogs, asshown in Figs. 2 and 5. By tripping a dog, the adjacent nut can bescrewed farther on and thus retain the packing under compression andthereby guard against waste of oil. The oil is circulated by preferenceinto the boxes from/a suitable source through pipes 35 and 36,preferably by means of a pump, not shown, because in common use for thispurpose in machinery of various kinds.

To prevent the fluid pressure in. the piston chamber and any whichenters the abutment chamber, from working inward and escaping orinterfering with the proper lubricating action, packing rings 37 arefitted in the inner faces of the webs 10 and are pressed against theopposite faces thereof by springs 38set in sockets 39, pins 4C0 projecting outwardly from said rings into said springs to prevent rotationof the packing IIIIOS.

fil operation fluid under pressure such as steam or air, is admitted tothe piston chamher through the intake port 25 as the abutment closessaid chamber and the rear end of abutment, and the momentum acquiredtogether with the action of the fly wheel, not shown, will continue therotation until the piston has passed out of engagement with saidabutment and the latter rearward of the recess has closed the pistonchamber adjacent the intake opening and immediately after this occursthe piston has again at tained aposition permitting the fluid to en terthe intake port and again apply impelling force to the piston.

It will of course be understood that it is contemplated to provide meansfor cutting off the fluid pressure supply at different points in thetravel of the piston, and any conventional means for accomplishing thisresult may be employed, and it will also be understood that by equippingthe motor with ignition mechanism of conventional type, the motor may beconverted into an internal combustion engine, or it may be convertedtending axially of the piston chamber, and comprising a circular diskfitting in the space between the adjacent sides of the casing and ofless radius than the inner side of the piston chamber, an arm extendingoutward from said disk and a segmental piston rigid with said arm andengaging said piston chamber and of corresponding width therewith, ashaft parallel with the first-named shaft, extending through andjournaled in the casing axially of the abutment chamber thereof, and acircular abutment mounted on said shaft and comprising a central portionfitting in the narrow space between adjacent portions of the sides ofthe casing, and a peripheral portion fitting in the abutment chamber,said abutment and its central portion having a cut away portionconstituting a recess for receiving said piston; the sides of the casingbetween said shafts being provided with internal segmental recesses forsnugly receiving the abutment and with opposite segmental recesses forreceiving the piston when the same is in engagement with the peripheralrecess of the abutment, and said casing at its abutment side also havingan intake port and an exhaust port to be automatically closed and openedby the passage of the piston thereby.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LANDY D. EPPERSON.

